Heart Condition

This mismatched-buddy cop movie with a neat supernatural angle has Hoskins as an LA vice cop with a penchant for fast food, beer, smoking and using the 'N-word' when referring to his black brothers. So when he sees his old flame (Webb) being smuggled away from a crime scene by her new lover, a suave black lawyer (Washington), racist sparks fly. Hoskins' real problems start when he suffers a heart attack and, with Washington meanwhile dying, receives his black heart in a transplant. More problematically, Washington's ghost is along for the ride, complaining that he was murdered and coaxing Hoskins into smartening up his act. So Hoskins starts wearing flash clothes, driving a Merc, and asking awkward questions of a dead senator. Making effective use of its central conceit, this offbeat gem delivers the necessary plot twists and action, but never soft pedals on the racial angle. Chloe Webb contributes a finely balanced performance as a woman whose appreciation of both men's qualities finally finds expression in one composite male.